Local Technical Advisor – Pandemic Preparedness

Fao; Kansas; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

FAO is seeking a Local Technical Advisor for Pandemic Preparedness to support Kosovo and regional activities from a home-based position. The role focuses on planning, coordinating, and delivering technical outputs across animal health, veterinary services, and One Health frameworks.

The incumbent will liaise with national authorities, manage field activities, and contribute to workplans, workshops, and reporting under the Pandemic Fund project.

Qualifications

• University degree in veterinary medicine, animal health, epidemiology, agriculture, or related field.
• At least five years of relevant working experience in project coordination related to animal health, One Health, or public health preparedness.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Albanian.
• National of Serbia or Albania or resident with a valid work permit.

Responsibilities

• Lead local technical expert under the project.
• Plan, organize and implement project activities to achieve outputs.
• Coordinate with Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia teams and management.
• Serve as focal point with national authorities and partners across sectors.
• Support multisector coordination and One Health approach.
• Develop and update annual project workplans with partners.
• Organize workshops, trainings, meetings, and field activities.
• Draft terms of reference for partners and draft procurement specs.
• Prepare donor narrative progress and terminal reports.
• Conduct field visits to project sites and provide technical advice.

Job description

2602017
Local Technical Advisor — Pandemic Preparedness

Job Posting

: 28/Sep/2026

Closure Date

: 19/Oct/2026, 9:59:00 PM
Organizational Unit: REUTD – Technical Officers Group

Job Type

: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)
Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location

: Home-Based
Duration: Up to 6 months with possible extension
Post Number: N/A
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) lead FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of priority programme activities. REU ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, supports policy dialogue, strengthens regional partnerships, and oversees the implementation and monitoring of FAO programmes and projects in Europe and Central Asia.

The position is linked to the project “MAKE-READY – North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo^1^ Emergency Ready” funded by the Pandemic Fund (PF), implemented by the project office in Kosovo in partnership with the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency.

The project aims to strengthen Kosovo capacities for the prevention, early detection and effective response to zoonotic disease threats through a One Health approach. It supports enhanced surveillance systems, laboratory capacities, workforce development, risk assessment and multisectoral coordination mechanisms, contributing to improved pandemic preparedness.

Within this framework, the Local Technical Advisor will support the project office in Kosovo and REU technical teams in the effective coordination and implementation of project activities, in close collaboration with local stakeholders and partners.

Reporting Lines

The Local Technical Advisor will operate under the overall guidance of the Deputy Regional Representative/Regional Programme Leader, the direct supervision of the Lead Technical Officer and will closely cooperate with the technical and operational teams.

Technical Focus

The Local Technical Advisor supports FAO in the effective planning, coordination, implementation and reporting of project activities. The incumbent will provide technical expertise and advice in the areas of animal health, veterinary services, zoonotic disease prevention and control and One Health and will serve as the primary liaison between FAO, other implementing entities, relevant central and decentralized institutions and project partners for the timely delivery of project outputs.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Serve as the lead local technical expert and advisor under the project;
• Be responsible for planning, organizing and implementing project activities and for the achievement of all project outputs;
• Conduct regular consultations with the LTO, technical teams in Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and project management team on technical aspects of the project implementation;
• Serve as the primary focal point for the liaison and coordination with the Food and Veterinary Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health, the World Bank, other relevant central and decentralized technical authorities, academia, institutes, professional bodies, associations and other stakeholders across sectors (human health, animal health, environment) on all technical matters related to the implementation of the project;
• Support strengthening multisector coordination mechanisms (One Health approach);
• Be responsible for the development and update of annual project workplans in close consultation with the FVA and other relevant project partners;
• Be responsible for planning, organizing and conducting workshops, trainings, meetings, Farmer Fiels Schools (FFS), including preparation of the necessary technical material;
• Be responsible for drafting the Terms of reference for the establishment of Letters of Agreement (Annex B under Manual Section 507) with local partners and assume the role of LoA Manager, when appropriate. Be responsible for drafting technical specifications for the procurement of goods (equipment and material) and services (contracts with profit entities) under Manual Section 502. Contribute to the preparation, launch and evaluation of tenders, throughout the bidding process to the final awarding;
• Draft terms of reference for the recruitment of local technical specialists including tasks, responsibilities and reporting lines;
• Undertake regular field visits to the project implementation sites, including FFS, other training sites, laboratories, veterinary posts, and farms and provide technical advice to facilitate smooth implementation of field activities;
• Provide in-country support to the missions of the international experts, including FAO technical team, such as facilitation of planning, data collection, consultations, and communication with local counterparts;
• Participate in project related meetings both physically and online;
• Provide technical input to the review and updating of relevant sectoral policies, strategies, plans, legislation, etc., as appropriate;
• Contribute to the development and adaptation of technical guidelines, protocols, and other project related materials;
• Provide necessary technical input and contribute to monitoring project implementation, including data collection and reporting against indicators;
• Prepare or contribute to the review of technical reports, mission summaries and other project-related documentation, as required;
• Be responsible for the timely preparation of donor-related project narrative progress and terminal reports and other project documentation, as required;
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in veterinary medicine, animal health, epidemiology, agriculture, ora related field.
• At least five years of relevant working experience in the implementation and coordination of projects related to animal health, veterinary services, One Health, zoonotic disease prevention and control, public health preparedness, or agricultural development programmes.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Albanian.
• National of Serbia or Albania or resident of one of the two countries with a valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Selection criteria

• Working knowledge of Serbian will be considered as an asset.

^1^ References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• The FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
  

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT